Skip to content

LETTER: CRD lacks teeth on Climate Emergency Declaration

You would have thought that the recent declaration of a climate emergency back in February would have spurred the CRD to do something. But since that government body has no teeth then perhaps then the 24 councillors and mayors that comprise its board would have proposed even the slightest action in their own municipalities. Sadly, the directors have sat on their hands and done very little.
16333391_web1_Letters-editor-180116-ACC-M

You would have thought that the recent declaration of a climate emergency back in February would have spurred the CRD to do something. But since that government body has no teeth then perhaps then the 24 councillors and mayors that comprise its board would have proposed even the slightest action in their own municipalities. Sadly, the directors have sat on their hands and done very little.

READ ALSO: CRD endorses Climate Emergency Declaration

There have been no changes proposed at the municipal level to lower green house gas levels. All staff and council park for free. The Colwood crawl continues every day, twice a day. Not even discussions about abolishing parking minimums, the most basic of actions. No orders to phase out oil for home heating. Places like Langford and Saanich still allowing development to occur outside of defined urban boundaries. No efforts to alter zoning codes to allow for more walkable, cycle-able transit rich development to occur.

READ ALSO: Car sharing coming to Central Saanich

On the transit front, no talk of finishing the bus lanes on Highway 1, no action on getting the E&N railway going, no concrete action on replacing the diesel belching buses with electric ones.

READ ALSO: Province commits to six-month investigation of E&N corridor

Lets all remember that the decision back in February was unanimous. That means that every director present voted for it. So far the directors don’t appear to be in much of a hurry to take any action at all for this emergency.

Eric Diller

Sidney